Spider Webs
by bakedbeansspaghettihoops
Summary: When Blaise and Hermione start dating, Draco's whole world is turned upside down and he can't figure out why it's bugging him so much. Blaise is determined for them to bond, but given that everything is not as it seems, this may not be the wisest idea. Get ready for misunderstandings, unexpected pairings and plenty of secrets! Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1: Musings

**Spider Webs**

 **A/N:** It's been a long time since I've done this – apologies for being a tad rusty! This has been in my head for so long I just had to write it up and post it; I really hope you guys enjoy this story! It will be a bit of a slow-burner because there are quite a few things I want to touch on, but I have a plan for it and I've written up a few chapters already so we should have regular uploads! I'd love to hear your thoughts, and if there are any questions you have feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer them articulately!

 **Summary:** When Blaise and Hermione start dating, Draco's world is turned upside down. Blaise is determined for the two to bond but given that everything is not quite how it seems, this may not be the wisest idea. Please R&R!

 **Chapter 1:** **Musings**

"I see Zabini is yet to grace us with his presence then?"

Draco shot Theo an amused smirk as the tall brunette sank down into the chair next to him and began unfolding his napkin.

"Are you surprised? I don't think he's ever been on time for anything in his entire life!"

In fact, they were so used to Blaise's tardiness that they'd both made sure they'd arrived late themselves; too many hours had been wasted over the years waiting for the man to show up to things on time.

"Yes, but you'd think it would be different tonight – given the circumstances."

Ah yes - the circumstances.

It wasn't uncommon for the friends to have dinner together. Since the final battle and graduating from Hogwarts, they'd all been in a very similar mindset – life was cruel and unapologetically short. They tried to touch base with each other as often as they could and rarely took the normality of it for granted. Not only had their lives been turned upside down, but they had come close to a very different reality - one where casual dinners and nights out wouldn't be an option. Voldermort had come dangerously close to winning at one point, but as time went on the dark side became impatient, worn down and desperate. The finesse with which the Dark Lord had originally carried out his plans began to waver, and the boys had started to seriously question their futures. It had been anything but easy to become indoctrinated into the Order; those were times Draco hated to think about – the limbo of the situation had given him crippling anxiety. He had defied his family and had no guarantee of ever being accepted into their lives again, and he was now around all of the people he despised being treated like the scum they felt he was. If he hadn't had the support of Blaise and Theo he doubted he would ever have taken that step, or coped with the aftermath.

Since then, the process of rebuilding had taken surprising twists and turns. From their conception, the boys were all trained in some way to take over from their fathers, and all of a sudden they had terrifying blank slates to work from. Whilst Draco had opted to keep an eye on the Malfoy investments from afar and immerse himself in the art of potion making - which had always been a passion of his, Blaise had tried to refresh his family's hand in the world of the wizarding property market by overhauling the entire ethos: dark opulence was out and light elegance was in. Theo, arguably the most level-headed of the three, surprised everyone by going into the restaurant business. He'd always had a flair for cooking, having snuck into the kitchens as a young boy to pick the brains of the house elves, and in the past couple of years he had managed to build a very successful name for himself in the culinary circle, and had plans of expanding across the international wizarding world. The best part was that it gave them a permanent location to meet – it started out as menu tasting evenings, and quickly developed into regular dinners that became a fixture in their calendars.

But the circumstances of this dinner had set a different tone for the proceedings. Blaise had been a little more aloof than normal recently; he had always been a bit floaty and unreliable, but for the past two months he had effectively fallen off the grid. Assuming he had been busy with work, Draco and Theo had left the situation alone, but when they received owls at the beginning of the week asking if they could have dinner, and if he could bring his new girlfriend to meet them, alarm bells started to ring. In all this time, regardless of what their relationship statuses were, they had never brought a partner with them to their dinners. It had just never happened. And Blaise was the last person they expected to begin a tradition like that; the Italian had a reputation for flitting from one amorous entanglement to another, and to this day had never had a steady girlfriend.

"You'd think," Draco mused when he realised he hadn't given Theo a response. "At least we know where he's been hiding recently – leave it to a witch to plunge him into some weird hibernation."

Theo snorted and took a sip of his wine.

"If he's bringing her here to meet us I think she's got him doing more than just hibernating; I wouldn't be surprised if he starts talking about settling down with her."

Draco's face was the picture of bewilderment.

"You do realise we're talking about _Zabini_ here?"

"I'm fully aware of who we're talking about!"

"Then you know he's highly unlikely to be settling down with her. He may be all wrapped up in this new relationship now but he always is at the start – give it another couple of weeks and he'll be babbling about the next one!"

Theo shook his head with a more sober expression.

"I don't think so; think about it – he's been completely different about this girl. He usually brags about whoever he's seeing and, frankly, goes into way too much detail about every part of their _association_. He hasn't even mentioned this witch's name, let alone where he knows her from. And we have no idea how enamoured he is about her yet; I could be wrong, but I really don't think this is just some passing fancy."

Draco mulled this over and, reluctantly, began to see Theo's logic.

"But what if she's weird? Or boring? Or can't string a sentence together?"

Theo laughed and held his now almost-empty glass out to Draco, who took the hint and began to top it up.

"Then we keep our comments to ourselves until we know where Zabini's head is at! I mean it Draco, do not make things difficult tonight; the last thing we need is a scene - we'll probably never see him again, you know how dramatic he can be!"

Before Draco could respond, two shadows were cast over their table, and the couple in question appeared in front of them.

"Sorry we're so late – completely my fault, work has been a nightmare today! Pour us a glass while you're at it Draco!"

In hindsight, Draco would always remember that moment as a time in his life where he momentarily went deaf. He didn't hear a word Blaise said. He didn't register the fact that he was still pouring wine into an overflowing glass. He didn't notice Theo jumping up from his seat and snatching the bottle from his hands.

Because stood next to Blaise, hand in his, bushy hair, stern expression and all, was Hermione Granger.


	2. Chapter 2: Awkward

**Spider Webs**

 **A/N:** Thank you so much for all the support on the last chapter – I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts as more of this unfolds! I've replied to the reviewers with accounts, but for those who didn't please know that your reviews made me smile and I'm so pleased you're excited for this story! I'm sorry this took longer than I'd originally planned, but I've made sure to have the next couple of chapters written up, so you should be getting very, very regular updates now!

Just want to point out that I am not following the events of Half Blood Prince or the Deathly Hallows. This is a Dramione story, but I plan on including a lot of the characters, and in the next couple of chapters you'll see what happened and how things have affected everyone, so bear with me on that!

Please read, review and let me know if you have any questions! Happy reading!

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot!

 **Summary:** When Blaise and Hermione start dating, Draco's world is turned upside down. Blaise is determined for the two to bond but given that not everything is quite how it seems, this may not be the wisest idea. Please R&R!

 **Chapter 2:** **Awkward**

As it turned out, the wine-spilling portion of the evening ended up being the most enjoyable part. It was as though they were all onboard some sort of freight train and it was destined to crash in spectacular fashion. Hermione couldn't recall ever experiencing something so _unnecessary_ before. She wasn't stupid – she knew that this dinner was always going to be a _weird_ affair; in fact, she had been putting it off for as long as she could get away with. Blaise had tried to convince her that everything would be fine; they were all adults who had been through a war not that long ago – this would be a piece of cake. There was nothing reassuring or convincing about his slightly too-wide smile or animated tone of voice, however, and Hermione hadn't been reassured at all.

She was right not to be.

She had immediately pulled out her wand and muttered a quick cleaning spell to get the wine off the tablecloth and Draco's tailored trousers, and whilst Theo had thanked her sincerely and gotten up to give her hand a light kiss on the cheek, the blonde wizard had thrown her a nasty glare.

"Couldn't resist sticking your nose in could you Granger?"

" _What did I say Draco_?" Theo hissed as he took his seat again.

Blaise looked incredibly uncomfortable and busied himself with pulling Hermione's chair out for her.

"Well excuse me for cleaning up the mess _you_ decided to make!" Hermione snapped, her complexion gradually colouring with irritation. "I should have known better than to expect someone to have taught you some manners over the years!"

"Oh, I have manners," Draco retorted, his face composed in a furious sneer. "I just have no interest in using them on someone so beneath me –"

"A word _, Malfoy_."

Blaise Zabini rarely got angry; he had always had a rather neutral temper. This made him extremely easy-going on a day-to-day basis, but also extremely dangerous when crossed, as the wizard was gifted at holding a grudge and patiently waiting to extract the perfect revenge. He wasn't sorted into Slytherin just based on his bloodline after all. And the icy tone with which he had spoken had caused everyone at the table to become as silent and as still as possible.

Draco fixed him with an unreadable expression, but got up nonetheless and followed him over to the bar a little walk away from where they were seated. Hermione and Theo watched mutely, neither knowing what to do with themselves.

"I will not say this to you again, so I suggest you listen very carefully," Blaise said as soon as they were out of earshot. "I couldn't care less what your problem is tonight Draco, but Hermione is here as my girlfriend and, as your best friend of over twenty years, that automatically makes her more than worthy of your civility! I will not tolerate you speaking to her like that, am I making myself clear?"

" _Hermione_ is she? Are you hearing yourself?" Draco retorted, but when Blaise's eyes darkened with even more anger he tried a different tactic. "Well what the hell do you expect from me? You could have said it was Granger you were dating!"

"You would never have shown up if I had!" Blaise's voice was tight and controlled. "This matters to me – _she_ matters to me. And I knew exactly what you'd be like if I'd told you before. Now if you can't be civil this evening I suggest you leave now, but Hermione _is_ my girlfriend, we _are_ together and that isn't about to change because you don't like it."

Draco looked extremely queasy. If it wasn't such a charged situation, Blaise would have found his expression hilarious – it wasn't often that Draco revealed any real emotion. But, as it stood, he was far from amused by his friend's behaviour – especially because he knew Hermione would waste no time saying _I-told-you-so_ later. He wasn't naïve; he hadn't expected this to be a smooth, relaxing first dinner. But he really had thought things would be civil. Once the Order had accepted them in, they hadn't all become best friends, but they had all been cordial to one another to get through the situation as easily as possible. War tends to put rivalries and prejudices into perspective, and this renewed shift in their dynamics had been carried through as they all navigated their lives in the aftermath.

He knew that a big part of Draco's hostility was fuelled by his anger at him for not preparing him first; the Malfoy clan were not good at surprises, and Draco was particularly touchy when caught off-guard. But he knew he had made the right decision overall; there was a lot he was learning to navigate with this new relationship with Hermione, and this meeting had already been prolonged enough. He hated loose ends, and if he had told Draco the process would have dragged on for months because he knew he would have avoided it for as long as he possibly could.

He took the stiff incline of Draco's head as a sign that he had accepted his terms, and led them back to the table, where Hermione and Theo were in a safe conversation about Hermione's research work. Since the end of the war she had opted to work in research; so far she had been employed by various organisations for their various needs; she was just finishing up a contract with the Ministry's Law Department, and was taking her time to decide if she wanted to go into another job straight away, or do some research for a project of her own.

"Couldn't stay away from the books could you, Granger?"

Everyone tensed at Draco's voice as he sat back down, but Hermione met his eyes and noticed that there was less ice in his stare. It was still cold, but she didn't feel as much of a target for his rage.

"I think I spent enough time away from them during the War, don't you?"

"A full nine months without reading – how will you ever catch up?"

Theo gaped at him, completely unsure of whether he was joking or not, whilst Blaise covered his confusion by picking up Hermione's hand in his own again and smiling easily at everyone, as though the wizard sat opposite him wasn't a flight risk.

Things were pretty quiet for the next forty minutes or so. The food arrived and, after a chorus of admiration directed at Theo – who explained that he had trained his Head Chef to cook his recipes exactly as he wanted them – everyone had been more than happy to have a break from awkward conversation. The great thing about human mouths is that they can't do more than one thing at once when they're concentrating on chewing, which meant that the tension subsided a little.

Theo and Blaise caught up here and there over the goings on of the past two months, explaining little things to Hermione as they went, and she appreciated the effort to include her. Currently, Blaise was asking Theo if he had managed to change his wine supplier yet, with a playful smirk on his face.

"Not yet Zabini," Theo glared, his skin paling a little.

"What's the problem with your wine supplier?" Hermione asked.

Blaise gleefully filled her in on the fact that Millicent Bulstrode's family owned a vineyard, and because of their mothers' friendship, they had been the restaurant's supplier for years. The problem was the Milicent had always had a crush on Theo; a crush that had not simmered down in all these years and had, in fact, gotten more and more intense.

"Remember when she tried to get you with Amortentia back in sixth year?"

"You're joking!" Hermione exclaimed, the thought of the Slytherins having the same sort of mischief in their House as they had had growing up genuinely surprising.

"I wish…" grumbled Theo. "She concealed it in a box of what looked like Honeydukes truffles. Thankfully Crabbe and Goyle scoffed the lot before I'd even left my Transfiguration class."

"Oh no!" Hermione laughed into her wine glass. "What happened then?"

"I actually don't remember…you were there weren't you Draco?"

The blonde's response was another stiff nod; this had become his signature response over the course of the evening and, if she was honest, Hermione was enjoying his sulky silence far more than his encrypted responses. Blaise, however, seemed to be feeling the opposite.

"You have a memory like an elephant mate," he said playfully with a flash of darkness in his eyes that was anything from light. "You must remember!"

Draco glared at him.

"Nope. Sorry."

Before Blaise could say anything Hermione squeezed his hand and promptly changed the subject.

Things took a turn after desert.

Draco hadn't stopped glaring at Hermione for at least ten minutes straight. His mood had worsened, probably due to having more time at the table to brood over the events that had happened. He hated the fact that everyone was acting as though this was the most normal evening in the world. He hated that Theo was giving Blaise an easy ride – why wasn't he as outraged as he was? It was out of order of Blaise to not give them any warning. He hated being told what to do. And most of all, he hated how at ease Hermione had been the whole time.

Every time she held Blaise's hand, every time she swallowed a mouthful and responded to whatever was being said, every time she laughed at one of Theo's stories – it grated on him. For the one complete outsider of the quartet, she was annoyingly more comfortable than any of them. And he had had enough.

So he did the one thing he knew would get under her skin. He kept glaring at her until she couldn't ignore him anymore; he had always enjoyed making her squirm and it was reassuring that it was a skill still very much in her possession.

"Is there a problem, Malfoy?"

The only downside to provoking a reaction out of her was that apparently that now meant provoking Blaise.

"Yes Malfoy," he repeated in the same no-nonsense tone he'd used earlier in the evening. "Is there a problem?"

"Why would there be a problem? How can there be any problems here with everyone playing happy fucking families?"

Theo coughed uneasily whilst Blaise leaned forward, barely able to control his irritation.

"I've had enough of this from you!"

"Good," Draco snapped. "Because I've had enough from you and your little girlfriend too!"

In spite of herself, Hermione could feel herself blush, and she wanted more than ever to be under Harry's invisibility cloak.

"Your problem is with me Draco, leave her out of it!"

"She's the reason we've got a problem!" Draco exclaimed angrily. "If you weren't shagging her this wouldn't be happening!"

"Watch your mouth Draco!"

"Why? That is what you're doing with her isn't it?" Draco sneered. "I'm not lying so I don't see why I should have to watch what I say!"

There was a delicate pause. Hermione stood up, having reached her limit. She was all for supporting Blaise, but she had had more than enough of this entire evening, and she didn't want to ruin all her efforts at remaining patient by hexing Draco Malfoy into next Tuesday.

"Thank you for a lovely evening Theo, it was nice to see you again. I'll see you back at yours Blaise," she said with an air of finality that left no room for discussion, and left the table.

Blaise watched her leave, shoulders tense, before turning back to Draco and fixing him with a sad look.

"I asked you for one thing."

Draco blinked at his sudden change of mood; he was convinced Blaise was going to lunge across the table at him, but instead he was looking at him as though he was extremely disappointed in him. It made him feel petulant.

"You should have told me who you were bringing. You knew this would happen Zabini."

"You could have waited until tomorrow to bollock me about not telling you," he said as he got up. "If you'd bothered to listen to me you'd know this meant a fucking lot to me. I _never_ bring the girls I'm seeing around you lot. I _never_ disappear for two months because I just want to be around one witch. And you know what, _mate,_ I _never_ ask you for anything. I can count on one hand the times I've asked you for a favour. Let me be very clear, tonight was the last fucking time."

Draco would like to be able to say he'd won that argument. He'd like to be able to say that he had occupied the moral high ground throughout the entire exchange. But the truth was that he spent the rest of the night feeling smaller than ever.


	3. Chapter 3: Considerations

**Spider Webs**

 **A/N:** Thank you for the lovely reviews, alerts and favourites – I'm really hoping I don't destroy anyone's expectations here! I know there isn't very much Dramione yet but trust me it's coming! I just need to lay a bit of groundwork first, but at least we're finally out of the restaurant! Sorry this is late, but the next chapter will be up tomorrow as a way of getting things back on track ?

I'm having some spacing issues in between the sections within the chapters; I put them in when I edit, but they don't show up when the document is published – if anyone has a solution I'd love to hear it! ?

Also, in case anyone's wondering, this is set 6 years after Book 7, so Harry is 24 at this point (you can work ages out from there, but if any birthdays factor into the plot I'll make sure they're accurate!)

Please read, review and let me know if you have any questions! Happy reading!

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot!

 **Summary:** When Blaise and Hermione start dating, Draco's world is turned upside down. Blaise is determined for the two to bond but given that not everything is quite how it seems, this may not be the wisest idea. Please R&R!

 **Brief Recap:** Blaise organised a dinner with his best friends Theo and Draco, telling them he'd like them to meet his new girlfriend, without revealing the Witch in question. So, when he turns up with Hermione, Draco is furious and tries to make Hermione as uncomfortable as possible, leading to a very angry Blaise and Hermione walking out. This chapter begins the morning after…

 **Chapter 3:** **Considerations**

"No offence Hermione, but that sounds like an absolute shit show of an evening!"

Hermione snorted her laughter into her coffee cup and took a moment to really appreciate the wonderous abilities Harry Potter possessed. Only someone in her position as his female best friend of over a decade would know that he was especially gifted at three specific things:

Making an incredible breakfast. Years of living at the Dursleys, coupled with another couple of years of tasting Molly Weasley's cooking had made him something of a connoisseur in the kitchen and she never passed up an opportunity to reap the benefits.

Listening. When he listened, he _really_ listened. This did have its drawbacks – as he wasn't formulating a response during her talking she'd have to wait for him to collect his thoughts before he answered her, but she would gladly take that any day if it meant he really took in what she said. It was a bonus that he never made her feel as though she was irritating him.

Always, no matter what the situation was, managing to make her laugh.

And she was extremely happy to be getting all three of those traits in abundance the morning after such an awful dinner. The two friends had made something of a habit out of breakfasts: Hermione's hours as a researcher meant it was always best to catch her in the mornings, before she buried herself in her work either for clients or for her own projects. And Harry was currently on leave; he had undergone intense Auror training soon after the War, and for a solid five years he had worked on increasingly difficult missions. But his last one had resulted in a nasty knee injury that he was still recovering from almost eighteen months later.

They alternated between Hermione's flat and Grimmauld Place, where Harry had been living since his break-up with Ginny two years ago. This morning, Harry had apparated over at half seven, their usual time, and had been alarmed to find Hermione a pacing mess in the living room – hair bushier than he'd seen in a while, her baggy sweatshirt and leggings a true sign that something was amiss: she gravitated towards muggle clothing when she needed comfort. The pop of his arrival startled her, and she ended up blurting the entire events of the previous night out as he attempted to make them breakfast, standing up every time he tried to guide her into a seat.

"None taken," she smiled easily, leaning back in her chair that she'd managed to stay in to eat her food. "I couldn't think of a better way to put it…although I wouldn't have been quite as crude!"

"It's too early to be polite," Harry grinned as he buttered his toast. "That has to be one of the most awkward dinners in wizarding history! I don't understand how you sat through it!"

"To be honest I'm not sure how I did either," she admitted. "I'll have to come up with a better coping strategy for next time – something tells me picturing my happy place isn't going to cut it."

She watched as Harry involuntarily dropped his toast onto his plate.

" _Next time_?" he spluttered, looking at her as though she'd sprouted two heads. "There's going to be a next time? How would that even work? He can't _re-_ introduce you!"

Hermione busied herself with cutting her bacon into tiny, uneven geometric shapes, trying to ignore the unwavering stare of two shiny green eyes. She tried to hold out, but Harry had a habit of wearing her down with one look – he could be extremely persistent when he wanted to be – and, frankly, she didn't have the energy to avoid him.

"Harry, my relationship with Blaise is never going to go anywhere if I don't learn to tolerate his best friend."

"I am yet to hear anything that would describe you as being the intolerant one last night!" Harry exclaimed irritably. "It works both ways Hermione, and I'm sure you don't need me to remind you that in all the time we've known him, even during the War, he's never stopped being a prick!"

Realising she'd managed to cut all her remaining bacon into miniscule bits, Hermione put down her cutlery and offered Harry a defeated smile.

"I know," she said quietly. "And before you say anything, I'm also aware that having Malfoy as a best friend reflects _patchily_ on Blaise. But you need to remember that I've had two months, give or take, to come to terms with the reality of being around him more. Blaise didn't give him any warning, and we all know how he thinks everything revolves around him and hates to have his pride hurt."

When Harry didn't give any signs of interrupting her she relaxed a little more, tracing the top of her coffee cup gently.

"I'm not saying that time will mellow him either. But he knows the situation now; he won't have anything sprung upon him the way it was last night. I mean, it took you and Ron some time to stomach too!"

Harry glared at her indignantly.

"I've never treated Zabini the way Malfoy treated you!"

"I'm not saying –"

"If you remember correctly, it was _Ron_ who couldn't control himself!"

"I know but –"

"I was always perfectly civil – I bought him a firewhiskey!"

" _Harry_!" Hermione snapped, her patience officially ending at his rant. "I never said you treated Blaise badly; there's nothing wrong with my memory thank you very much! I was just reminding you that when I told you about us you were extremely surprised and kept asking me if I'd been cursed."

Harry had the sense to look a little sheepish at that, and she smiled reassuringly.

"It's ok – I get it. And the fact that you've always supported me means more to me than you'll ever know. The way Theo handled everything last night really reminded me of you actually."

Harry rolled his eyes at her but didn't argue. He got on with Theo the best out of all three Slytherins, mainly because he seemed to have a similar desire to stay out of any kind of situation by pretending to be invisible, but also because he admired his determination to separate himself from his family name. He had worked hard to try to rebuild as much as he could, and Harry really empathised with the amount of strength and will power that took, having been through something similar – it was difficult to carve yourself out as an individual when your family name was so famous – even if it was for more positive reasons.

"Are you sure this is still what you want though?" He asked Hermione after a pause. "I'm not bashing your relationship with Blaise, I just want you to be happy. What happened once you'd both apparated back?"

Hermione blushed a little and Harry, again, rolled his eyes and coughed uneasily.

"Forget I asked!"

Hermione fidgeted.

"That's sort of the problem actually…"

Harry looked extremely uncomfortable.

"Do I really need to hear this?" he complained, barely managing to hold eye contact with her. "The last thing I need is a weird visual of you two!"

Hermione shot him a glare so stern it was up there with one of Professor Mcgonagall's.

"Firstly, there were never going to be any _weird visuals_! Secondly, may I remind you that I was there for you when you had your privates kicked in during a raid and thought they'd never function again! I had to read some pretty vulgar spell books to find the right enchantment to _unsquash_ everything!"

"You promised we'd never mention that again!" Harry hissed as he began to turn a very amusing shade of pewter. He had only been an Auror for around three months at the time, in a passionate relationship with Ginny, and he'd been so mortified he'd begged Hermione to find a way to fix it so that no one ever found out.

" _My point being_ ," she continued, ignoring him completely. "We're at a stage in our friendship where we can talk about these sorts of things when needed. And…well…I could really use some guidance."

She had gone from sounding assertive to so vulnerable within the same breath, and Harry felt his heart go out to her. He nodded his head as a gesture for her to go on, but he couldn't help wishing that she were talking to literally anyone else as opposed to him.

"The thing is…whenever I try to bring up certain issues with Blaise he…well…initiates sex. And not in the same way to how he'll initiate it normally…it feels like he does it to distract me."

Her voice was very quiet and Harry leaned in a little to hear better.

"And last night I was so angry…before he apparated after me I was so ready to ask him outright if he expected me to put up with that from Malfoy in the future, or if he was going to put his foot down…but then he was in front of me…and he was so adamant that we should talk when we'd cooled down…and then he started –"

"Please don't finish that sentence!" Harry muttered, earning him another glare.

"Fine, but now I'm worried I gave in too easily. We never end up talking about this stuff, so why should this be any different?"

Harry thought carefully about what she'd said and glanced over at her calendar that was on the wall opposite.

"When are you next seeing him?"

"This evening, he mentioned something about a date before he went to work earlier."

Harry nodded.

"The best thing to do is push him to talk about it when you're around people; that way he's less likely to _distract_ you. Although, I think he was right to not talk about it last night – I don't think anything productive would have come from it. But if this is a pattern that isn't breaking there'll be a reason why he's avoiding it, and that's his responsibility to figure out and deal with or tell you about. If he still doesn't give you a real answer then maybe you need to think about if this is still what you want."

Hermione nodded in agreement.

"I have to be honest here…" Harry started, pausing to collect his thoughts. "I think you and Blaise are great together. But I don't think this dynamic is ever going to be… _easy_ with Malfoy. Just...be careful."

Hermione nodded again, finding it difficult to disagree to anything he had said. He was voicing her own concerns and she knew she had to address them.

Harry checked his watch and downed the rest of his coffee.

"I have to get to that meeting with Kingsley," he said as he stood up. "I'm having lunch with Ron tomorrow in Diagon Alley; you should come if you can tear yourself away from the scrolls!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. She was known for working through lunch hours, as well as working late into the night on her research projects, leading Ron to always complain that he never saw her.

"I'll see what I can do. Thank you Harry, I really mean it."

Harry gave her a lopsided grin and made his way over to her fireplace, appreciating her gratitude but also wanting to leave the uncomfortable notes of the conversation behind.


	4. Chapter 4: Foundations

**Spider Webs**

 **A/N:** Here's the next chapter which is 100% Blasie and Hermione. I hope this gives a real insight into their relationship and some proper background to everything. This is the last short chapter – after this the plot really starts to take off, so I hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think! I know everyone likes Blaise so far and I'm really pleased because I hate stories that make the third party horrible so that everyone roots for the main couple – it's just too easy, and I really don't think Hermione would be with a guy she couldn't see some sort of future with. Like I said, this is a bit of a long story so the Dramione will fall in naturally and, whilst Blaise isn't about to become a horrible villain, he isn't perfect, so hopefully no one will hate me when things start to unfold!

Thank you to everyone who's favourited, alerted and reviewed!

Please read, review and let me know if you have any questions! Happy reading!

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot!

 **Summary:** When Blaise and Hermione start dating, Draco's world is turned upside down. Blaise is determined for the two to bond but given that not everything is quite how it seems, this may not be the wisest idea. Please R&R!

 **Brief Recap:** Blaise organised a dinner with his best friends Theo and Draco, telling them he'd like them to meet his new girlfriend, without revealing the Witch in question. So, when he turns up with Hermione, Draco is furious and tries to make Hermione as uncomfortable as possible, leading to a falling out. Hermione spent the next morning venting to Harry, but now it's time for her date with Blaise – will she get the answers she's looking for?

 **Chapter 4: Foundations**

Hermione had seen many sights since her first foray into the Wizarding World as an eleven-year-old that had taken her breath away, but that evening she decided that ancient wizarding Manors were definitely in a league of their own. She had read about the complex magic that bound each one together, tailoring the exterior to the inhabitants, as well as the protective charms around them, and she found the entire concept truly fascinating. She'd never had the opportunity to visit one before, but she had poured over pictures in various tomes, tracing the edges of each brick or marbled edge wistfully. So when Blaise had owled her around lunchtime to tell her he'd be taking her to his home, she had been unable to stop herself bouncing up and down in excitement.

Zabini Manor was very different to some of the ones she had seen in the books she'd read and, as the family wasn't a member of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, it didn't surprise her. It wasn't as tall or imposing as a lot of the classical styles tended to be. In fact, it was rather light, made of an off-white marble that dazzled in the evening sunlight. Rather than towering over them with impossibly high turrets atop a structure that surely featured numerous spiralling staircases, Blaise's manor was wider in square footage, with what looked like only two or three floors at most, not including a basement. There were a lot of windows, all with stunningly carved frames and gorgeous window boxes of fresh flowers – all currently a pretty blush pink. She was struggling to take it all in, and the more she tried, the more she noticed. She loved the smell of the fresh water lilies floating in the fountain they were standing next to; Blaise had explained that the only point they could openly apparate to was directly in front of the Manor by the fountain, and she wasn't complaining. What made the Manor extra appealing to her was the vast amount of greenery everywhere; there were trees surrounding it, and Blaise had explained that his mother adored open spaces so a large amount of land surrounding them was a necessity. Hermione found it soothing and appreciated the privacy of it all.

"So, what do you think?"

His voice brought her out of her thoughts and she turned to face him, a bright smile on her face.

"It's incredible!"

Blaise grinned at her.

"You really like it?"

"I can't believe you grew up here!" she exclaimed. "You must have so many stories – was it really torn down in a fire? It looks brand new! There's so much I want to know –is it true there was a cursed maze in the grounds for a century before it was torn down?"

Blaise chuckled, tucking a stray curl of hers behind her ear as he leaned down, kissing her softly.

"There'll be plenty of time for a q-and-a session later; for now, there's something a little more urgent we need to attend to."

He winked playfully at her and she tried to fight the blush she knew was determined to break through across her cheeks. Blaise was a very attractive man; silky olive skin, a head of rich black hair, rich dark chocolate pools for eyes, an angular jaw and full, soft lips. His voice was deep and husky, and he never looked ungroomed. But the most alluring thing about him for her was the consistent light he omitted. He was always playful and always seeking to make even the most serious of situations funny. She had a tendency to overthink, which often caused her to sink into the dismal corners of her mind, and he was a very good counterpart to that. If she was honest, she valued her time with Blaise more-so because his introduction into her life had caused her to truly appreciate the present. She was so incredibly aware of mortality – war will do that to you – but the desire to rebuild and push forward had been keeping her going more than anything else over the years. Along the way, there had been a lot of missed moments, and a really nice outcome of dating Blaise had been to regain some of those lost pieces to a larger puzzle.

As she placed her hand in his and followed him down a gravelled pathway through the trees in a cluster to their left, she realised that the quality of his she found most attractive was becoming a serious point of contention for her. His avoidance of anything remotely serious was why they never discussed anything. Since talking to Harry that morning she had become more and more concerned: she knew that he had the capacity to deal with serious issues because he was in charge of a small chain of elite hotels in the wizarding world (a business he'd inherited from his biological father but learned how to run from one of his stepfathers). But anything other than that was something she was yet to see. Whilst she appreciated how he balanced her she wondered if, now that she was aware of just how much she'd been overthinking and missing, what she had needed was to become conscious of it. She didn't want to end things with Blaise, but she couldn't get rid of this annoying feeling in her gut that piped up every time she thought about this issue.

It was getting caught up in analysing that particular feeling that caused her to lose her footing and trip on a lose twig. Blaise easily caught her and pulled her upright, steadying her against him. She took that moment to focus on where he'd led her, and what she saw took her breath away.

"Wow!"

They were in a small clearing, illuminated by an almost ethereal light that broke through the tops of some of the highest trees she'd seen outside of a real forest. There was a large picnic basket in the middle of a patchwork blanket, a bottle of champagne with glasses to its side, and a multitude of cushions and blankets around the edges. There were a few lanterns with candles handing off various branches – the whole thing looked like something out of a storybook.

"Blaise…this is amazing!" she breathed. "I can't believe you did this!"

He shifted a little uneasily.

"Are you sure you like it? You said you wanted something more personal for our next date…I wasn't sure what to do – I remembered you saying something about picnics with your parents but –"

She cut off his rambling by kissing him soundly.

"I love it, thank you so much Blaise."

All vulnerability left his expression and his playful side returned.

"Good! Because I made the house elves run around quite a lot to get all of this sorted – I wanted everything to be just right. Where do you want to sit?"

When Hermione didn't respond he turned to look at her, and found her glaring at him.

"What's wrong?"

"You're joking, right?"

"About what?" Blaise asked, genuinely bewildered.

Hermione felt that familiar feeling in her gut twist again.

"Blaise, you know I'm completely against elf labour. I've supported their freedom for years – when we met I was working on research for my S.P.E.W campaign! Do you really not remember?"

In hindsight, she would always appreciate the fact that he didn't try to lie. His complete shock at her reaction was a big give away after all.

There was a rather awkward silence prickling between them. Blaise looked extremely uncomfortable and Hermione had retreated into her head again. She felt extremely on edge, and the part of her that had been doubting this entire thing was starting to take hold. The problem was she couldn't figure out if she was having a rational reaction; logically it wasn't the biggest deal – yes, her views on Elfish welfare were part of her core principles, but they had had that conversation a while ago. Was she just looking for faults?

"Look Hermione," Blaise said softly. "I'm sorry that I forgot. It wasn't intentional, and it wasn't that I didn't listen to you. I've grown up with house elves and I was so nervous about tonight going well – especially after last night's debacle – that I just operated on autopilot. I want to know what you think about them, and I want us to have a lovely evening together…but I understand if being here now would be too uncomfortable for you. We could always do something else?"

Once again, Hermione felt her insides twist uncomfortably. A part of her wanted to leave and give herself some space and distance to gather her thoughts, but another part was telling her that all she would do is wind up back here again a few hours later – Blaise was the only person who could answer the questions she had. It wasn't his job to make her feel comfortable with his answers; she needed him to be honest so that she could then evaluate how she felt about going forward with him, and to his credit, he had been honest so far. And, if she was honest, she didn't want another horrible evening in a row. Not when there was a chance this could all be sorted out.

"Seems a shame to waste all of this," she said quietly. "Let's start again."

Blaise smiled, albeit a little warily, and knelt down on the blanket, reaching for the bottle of champagne.

"Excellent idea," he said brightly as he began to fiddle with the top. "Would you care to take a seat?"

Hermione edged closer to the blanket, relaxing a little more as she noticed the gentle warmth of the heat spell Blaise must have cast.

"Have you had a picnic before?" she asked, praying for a lighter tone to the conversation as she settled herself down next to him as gracefully as she could.

"Nope," he replied as he poured the champagne. "It's not really something Purebloods do. If we ever ate outside it would still be at a fully dressed table with all the correct cutlery."

Hermione nodded and felt a lot of her irritation leave her as she realised, once again, that Blaise Zabini was a born and bred pureblood. It was often easy to forget because he was so easy to get on with – similarly to the Weasleys. But being here, on the grounds of his large Manor home, made her realise that there was so much about him she just didn't know because this was a layer of wizarding society she knew nothing about. The Pureblood elite were incredibly private, so it wasn't as though she could resort to a book to educate herself. Admittedly, the best way to learn would be to ask the man in front of her, but if anything the house elf misunderstanding confirmed what she already knew – she was afraid. Afraid of finding out that their worlds were, indeed, too far apart, and assimilating would be a much more difficult task than they'd initially thought.

"What was it like growing up here?" she asked a little tentatively. She hadn't really asked Blaise about his background and wasn't sure how he'd react.

"It was normal I guess," he answered, handing her glass to her. "I don't have much to compare it to. Compared to my friends I'd say I had a pretty relaxed time, although it's hard to make a Manor homely. As we're not part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, my mother didn't stress so much about ensuring I knew everything I needed to in order to ensure our bloodline continued. Put it this way – I chose to do a lot of the societal stuff to be around Theo and Draco and I always knew I didn't have to. They didn't have a choice."

"Societal stuff?"

"Etiquette lessons, dancing, courting – that sort of thing. Most purebloods are home schooled before they turn eleven, so it was a good way to see each other."

Hermione blinked.

"I can't imagine doing all of that," she admitted. "The muggle system is so different…did you like learning things like that?"

Blaise gave her a considered look and shifted a little, partly to get more comfortable and partly to make sure he didn't mess his words up.

"I'm a Pureblooded wizard, Hermione," he said calmly. "It may seem bizarre and archaic to learn things like which fork to use with which dish, and how to ask a lady of good breeding to dance, and no, I didn't really like a lot of it – I was a kid, all I wanted to do was whack a quaffle about! But it's still my world, and those lessons are not only how I am now able to exist in my society – they're also how I conduct business and keep our family name from being mocked…it's ingrained in me and I can't help that…"

He paused here, a shadow cast across his face. Hermione suddenly felt very aware of the tension dancing around his words and she placed a hand on his arm.

"You don't need to talk about anything you don't want to," she reassured with a warm smile. "I just wanted to get to know you a little more – we come from very different backgrounds and I think it's important we understand each other a bit better. But we don't have to cover everything in one go."

He gave her a genuine smile.

"I agree," he said, suddenly very chirpy again. "Shall we tuck in?"

Hermione blinked at his sudden mood change and nodded, before shaking her head with a frown. Blaise quirked an eyebrow at her.

"What's the matter?"

"It's just…before we properly start our evening I really think we should talk about last night…"

Realisation washed over Blaise and he turned towards her, taking her hands in his and giving her his full attention.

"I agree," he said in a firm voice. "I want to firstly thank you for…well…everything you did last night. It was unpleasant and I wouldn't have blamed you for leaving at any point. Frankly, I'll admit I think you're a little nuts for sitting through it for so long. You shouldn't have to endure something like that, I certainly don't expect you to, and I can assure you that it won't happen again."

She squeezed his hand and smiled reassuringly at him, his joke working perfectly to both lighten the mood and make her feel comfortable. He _didn't_ expect her to tolerate that kind of behaviour; after her talk with Harry earlier that had been something that was really bothering her. She knew Draco was like a brother to him and she understood that bond well; she was a little insecure as to Blaise's expectations of her as the new addition to his life and the change this would place on this dynamic. But he had addressed the issue without her even having to ask directly, and she appreciated how easily he managed to do it.

"I judge myself too don't worry," she said as she nudged him playfully. "I'd say I judge you a little too, given that you're friends with him willingly, but I know it's not as simple as that."

When Blaise didn't say anything and just looked down at their entwined hands, she squeezed them again and softened her tone.

"I know you wouldn't be friends with him for no reason…"

"It's ok, you don't have to pretend to understand it," Blaise said as he looked back at her. "Draco isn't like that; the version of him you know isn't who he really is…but that's irrelevant to this conversation. Draco is my problem, and I will personally ensure you are never treated like that by him again. Once we're on speaking terms again, of course!"

Hermione nodded, but it was evident that there was still something bothering her.

"I understand that," she said slowly. "But one thing that concerns me is that we don't talk about things that happen…whenever I try to talk about things like last night with you it ends up in us being intimate…and it worries me that you seem to want to avoid those conversations…"

Blaise shot her a sly grin.

"Are you saying you don't enjoy our _intimate_ moments?"

Hermione glared at him, irritated that he felt a joke was appropriate during her moment of vulnerability.

" _Blaise!_ "

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Look…I don't normally do the relationship thing…a lot of this is new to me," he admitted vaguely. "But I do really like you, and if the past two evenings have proved anything it's that we both do want to get to know each other more. I just want to go at our own relaxed pace…"

"I'm not asking to speed things up," she interrupted. "I'm asking for you to understand that we need to talk about things like last night when they happen so that we both know how we both feel and how we're going to deal with things."

"Alright," he conceded, although he didn't look entirely confident. "I will try to do that…talking about things like that doesn't come easily to me. Like I said I don't do things like this normally…just…be patient with me."

Hermione nodded and kissed him as a way to show that she accepted his answer and the matter was over with for the time being. She didn't feel the level of closure she'd been hoping for – things weren't miraculously fixed in any way. But she did have a better sense of Blaise's behaviour, and it was enough for her to see how things would unfold for now. There wasn't much else that she could do aside from evaluate what felt right and what felt wrong, and leaving felt wrong at the moment. What would be interesting to see is just how long that moment ended up lasting.


	5. Chapter 5: Pacifying

**Spider Webs**

 **A/N:** I don't even what to think about how unfairly long it's been since my last upload! I'm really sorry guys, and I won't make any promises – just know that there shouldn't be a gap like that again anytime soon, and this is an extra-long chapter to make up for it! Thank you for all your reviews and favourites – I'm really chuffed with the response, especially to the issues in Blaise and Hermione's relationship because I wanted things to come across as realistically as possible. I hope you like this chapter – we're getting closer to some actual Dramione interaction!

Please read, review and let me know if you have any questions! Happy reading!

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot!

 **Summary:** When Blaise and Hermione start dating, Draco's world is turned upside down. Blaise is determined for the two to bond but given that not everything is quite how it seems, this may not be the wisest idea. Please R&R!

 **Brief Recap:** Blaise organised a dinner with his best friends Theo and Draco, telling them he'd like them to meet his new girlfriend, without revealing the Witch in question. So, when he turns up with Hermione, Draco is furious and tries to make Hermione as uncomfortable as possible, leading to a falling out. Hermione spent the next morning venting to Harry, and last night talking and making up with Blaise. But where does this leave Draco?

 **Chapter 5: Pacifying**

Narcissa Malfoy valued the little things in life – the way frost would settle delicately on the tiny petals of her snowdrops, the curls of steam that emitted from a perfectly brewed potion, the smell that was left after her house elves had finished mopping her marble floors. She appreciated every last little thing, never taking for granted that she could take the time to notice these tiny details in her life; it hadn't always been that way. Growing up in the Black household enabled Narcissa to foster a tailored eye for the finer, more luxurious things in life. But simplicity – unless in relation to elegance – was to be snubbed. And marrying into the Malfoy family was no different; it wasn't too long before darker times had fallen on them, and if there was one thing Voldermort knew how to do it was suck the life out of everything. It was only recently, with her husband away in Azkaban and her household back under her own control, that she had been able to truly notice the little things that made such a significant difference to her world.

If she were to be completely honest, a lot of it was an avoidance tactic. She didn't like to think about the state of her marriage, or her complicated thoughts towards her husband, or her family, or her past. She had always been a woman who carried on regardless of what was happening, always pushing forward to the next stage, and she was struggling with how much more time she now had to think about the place she was in. So, she diverted her attention when her thoughts became too intense to the small details that truly made her feel at ease. No matter how much of a mess things were, the world was still turning and she was still alive.

But _this_ morning she found herself struggling to see any silver linings. If there was one thing that Narcissa Malfoy valued more than life itself, it was her only child. His happiness and well-being mattered more to her than anything else ever had, and ever could. And said child was currently slumped in his seat with a scowl that could rival his great grandfather's, stabbing at his breakfast as though it had personally affronted him by being cooked and placed on his plate.

"Draco, darling, if you sit up a little straighter you'll find it easier to eat."

When he ignored her, as she had fully expected him to, she snapped her fingers and suppressed a smile when he nearly jumped out of his skin as his cutlery flew out of his hand and clattered back down onto his plate loudly.

"Was that necessary?" he grumbled.

"I don't appreciate you making my breakfast table look so sullen and untidy," she responded, pleased to see him make the smallest effort to sit properly. Malfoys did not slump.

"And that called for your precious plates to get scratched?" he snapped, reaching for the coffee pot.

"This particular set was passed down to us from Lucius's mother," she explained as her fork pierced a piece of grapefruit. "A scratch or two may serve as an improvement, don't you think?"

Draco snorted and Narcissa felt a surge of pride. If there was one thing she knew how to do, it was be a mother – another thing she felt truly grateful for. Because she didn't come from a family of truly maternal women and, truth be told, she always worried that she would mimic the example around her when it came to her own children. But she had always felt an intense bond with Draco, and it had only become stronger when each attempt at expanding their family fell flat. Whilst she loved the lighter moments with him, it was in the harder ones that she truly felt the strength of their connection.

"What's got you in such a terrible mood?" she asked.

"Like you haven't already heard," Draco mumbled irritably.

Narcissa frowned.

"Heard what?"

"I know you had lunch with Blaise's mother last week!"

"So?"

" _So_ you must know!"

"Know what? Really Draco, this is getting tedious!"

Draco put down his coffee, all irritability suddenly gone from his demeanour.

"She didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Narcissa snapped, not feeling very patient anymore.

Draco's face broke into a triumphant smirk.

"Blaise has a new girlfriend!"

"Really? Well that is good news! She must be rather special for him to have given her the title; I don't remember the last time he was in a relationship!"

Draco's eyes darkened.

"Oh, she's special alright. It's Potter's best friend, Granger."

Narcissa's eyes widened as she took in this new information. Hermione Granger was not a witch she knew very much about, and anything she did know was either from Draco's unkind rants as a child, or the newspapers – she was the brightest witch of her age apparently, with a list of credentials longer than her arm. As far as she could tell from various pictures, she had turned out to be rather pretty, although she seemed to have the look of someone always a little too tired.

She may not have known her very well, but she did know Blaise. And whilst she adored him almost as much as Draco, she couldn't see how the match had managed to happen. Blaise enjoyed extravagance. He lived life spontaneously, having never experienced much stability as a child, and didn't take life too seriously. He was also very charming and very evasive. He rarely committed to things, which was why this news of a relationship was a little surprising, but a part of her felt intrigued. This could be an interesting turn of events.

"I think that's rather fascinating!" she exclaimed. "How long have they been together?"

Draco frowned.

"Two months, but did you hear _who_ I said?"

"Draco I'm not senile! I'm assuming by _Granger_ you are referring to Miss _Hermione_ Granger."

"And you don't think that's a little weird?" he prompted, looking at her as though she was transfiguring into a candlestick.

"It is a tad out of the ordinary certainly," she said carefully, still not comprehending exactly what Draco's issue was. "But if he's happy and they are making things work I don't see what the problem is."

Draco glared at her.

"If he's so _happy_ why didn't he tell us he was with her? Why would he just show up to dinner with her without warning us?"

"And Theodore feels as strongly as you do?" Narcissa prompted, already knowing the answer; she was beginning to see that, given how her usually articulate son still hadn't given her a concrete reason for his outrage at his best friend's new relationship, he was most likely on a solo tirade.

"He was equally as blind sighted if that's what you're asking!"

"I'm sure he was," she replied amicably, "as I can imagine her friends were when they heard the news. But surely you must see how pointless wasting so much energy on all of this is? They may not even last for very long, but even if that is the case, your friendship may not recover if you continue to be so hostile."

"You don't think it's a little strange that the first time Blaise goes public with any witch as his official girlfriend it's with the most irritating know-it-all bint with a ridiculous nest on the top of her head?"

"I am going to choose to ignore all of those colourful and unnecessary descriptions of Miss Granger's character and say that no, I don't. I cannot imagine he is using her for her name or reputation; the Zabini family name has only ever been tainted mildly by his mother's relationships, there's not much she would really add in that regard. Blaise has never known true stability, and whilst he has always avoided any sort of commitment, there comes a point where most feel the tides change. And from what I remember, the two of them formed some sort of a friendship during the War so it's not as though they don't have some sort of foundation."

Draco scowled at her words spoken in a tone that held no room for argument. He _hated_ when his mother was right. As he stabbed at his eggs he found it hard to repress his irritation at the entire thing and couldn't resist attempting one last plea to reason.

"I must say mother, I'm shocked at your stance here. Is there any particular reason you're so chirpy about this? Because, and let's be brutally honest here, if things were reversed and it was _me_ who was dating her and bringing her home to present to you, I'm pretty sure you'd be far less pleasant. If fact, I'm willing to bet you'd have a stroke!"

Narcissa rolled her eyes at his theatrics but noted his words in her mind for evaluation later. _If it were me…_ Was this the root of the issue?

"First of all, betting is crude and not an activity suitable for the breakfast table. Secondly, _if it were you_ in Blaise's position I would make the effort to understand your feelings towards the witch and the nature of your relationship, because as your mother I simply want your happiness. We did not fight in that horrific war to employ the same archaic notions of blood purity, and I did not almost lose you only for your life to be miserable. But that is hardly relevant given that it is not you who is dating Miss Granger, is it son?"

Draco shot her a sneer that made him look so much like his father she had to remind herself to keep her expression passive.

" _No_ I'm not! As if I would ever go anywhere near that insufferable little –"

"And thirdly," Narcissa continued loudly, not caring to hear the end of that sentence. "Of all the things I have survived with this family, I hardly think you deciding to be with Miss Granger would tip me over the edge."

Not much else could be said to that. Draco looked at her disbelievingly and Narcissa couldn't blame him; she wouldn't have believed herself capable of saying those words a few years ago, and a sweeping statement such as _times have changed_ was hardly enough to explain the change in her. She didn't think she'd ever be able to explain it properly; all she knew was that she had never been able to get passed the sheer terror of almost losing her son in the War, and out of everything she had lost, she knew she would never have been able to cope with that. She wasn't sure if Draco had any sort of feelings other than loathing for the muggle witch and, looking at him now as he sat scowling down at his breakfast, she doubted he knew himself. But she certainly wasn't going to let him go on thinking she was against it.

What was more pressing however, was the state of his friendship with Blaise. The boys would never admit it but they needed each other, and she couldn't imagine a future where they were at odds. Her relationship with her sisters had been shattered beyond repair a very long time ago, and the circles she moved in now made genuine friendships a rare likelihood. She didn't want that for Draco.

"Darling, listen to me," she spoke in a soothing tone with all traces of teasing and harshness gone. "I know this makes no sense to you, and I know you feel wronged by Blaise choosing not to warn you before the dinner as to Miss Granger's identity. But you need to stop and think about the road you're going down because I can guarantee that you won't like where it leads. You cannot remain angry with him because he behaved in a way you didn't expect him to; he is probably just as bewildered about everything as you are, and even if he isn't, he could probably do with a conversation and support from his best friend. Either way, you won't ever know what's going on if he decides to shut you out completely."

If she wasn't his mother, she would have missed the flicker of emotion that danced across Draco's features. Deep down, she could see he understood what she was saying. He probably agreed with her more than he would ever admit, but that combination of Malfoy and Black pride would be the death of him, and it wasn't a battle she could fight for him.

DMHGDMHG

"Hurry up Hermione! By the time we get there they'll be changing the lunch menu to the dinner one and I really don't fancy Tom's Bubble and Squeak again!"

"You eat there way too much if you know what's on the dinner menu," Hermione grumbled as she conceded, hurrying past the window display at Flourish and Blotts to catch up to her friends.

She didn't often join them for weekly lunches; she usually got so absorbed in her research that she forgot about lunch altogether and found herself craving food at half three in the afternoon. But Harry had invited her, and as much as she could do without Ron's hunger-induced moodiness, she was so glad to be out of her flat and out of her head for a little while. She felt drained by the past couple of days and even she had to admit that all her overthinking was doing was leading her round and round in infuriating circles. The hustle and bustle of Diagon Alley was a welcome distraction.

"She has a point mate," Harry chuckled, "you spend most of your life in that place!"

Ron gave Harry the finger, ignoring Hermione's glare of disapproval, and led them down the next turn towards The Leaky Cauldron. In the aftermath of the war Ron had found himself at a loss. He'd always managed to coast alongside his friends – yes, he had his own merits, but he had always been more concerned with going with the flow rather than trying to figure out what he wanted to do. Hermione was always going to go back to school, and Harry had wanted to go straight into Auror training more than anything else at that time, but Ron had had a massive change of heart. The reality of fighting against the dark side had been much harder for him to cope with; it wasn't as simple as catching the bad guys and making things great again. It was the first time Ron had really seen true devastation, through the families of victims, through the eyes of the authorities piecing their society together, and the world he'd once seen as challenging with an ever-present comedic edge suddenly felt clouded in a grey fog.

So, the twins suggested he work with them in the joke shop. Fred firmly believed that immersing Ron in an environment dedicated to spreading good cheer to people would help him climb out of the place he was sinking into, but George had his reservations. He worried that it might push Ron over the edge a little and had made a habit of trying to get Ron interested in different things so that he didn't end up feeling trapped in a chamber of laughter. Up until recently he had been pretty vague about how he was finding it, but the twins had just launched a new range of products that Ron had been very involved with in terms of the pre-production, and he'd really enjoyed it. So much so that work had become a source of true passion for him – suddenly he was interested in brainstorming ideas and locating the right sort of suppliers to help them get the best deal on materials and components. It had really brought about a welcome maturity and change to his character.

"Can we just hurry up please? I only get around fifty minutes for lunch and I can't deal with the chaos of that place if I'm underfed!"

A maturity that flew out the window the moment he was hungry.

"Well it's a good job you inhale your food then, right?" Harry winked playfully.

"Granger!"

The familiar, but shrill, voice made the trio stop in their tracks and turn. Of all the people she expected to see in that moment, Pansy Parkinson would _never_ have made it on to the list. Hermione found herself speechless as the petite, raven-haired witch wove through the crowd of people to get to them. She couldn't recall ever having a pleasant conversation with Pansy, which made the pleasant smile of her face as she approached her even more unsettling.

" _Pansy_?" she managed to choke out, already feeling a headache coming on. The last thing she needed was another confrontation with another one of Blaise's friends.

"Granger! It's about time I bumped into you!"

"It is?"

Hermione couldn't believe how _un-Pansy_ the woman was being…Pansy Parkinson had always been sour-faced and pouty, only ever uttering a word to anyone outside her house to be unnecessarily mean and unwitty. In all their time at Hogwarts she'd never seen her smile, which was making her wide, beaming face all the more alien to her. It was also disconcerting to see her looking so normal. In school she had had her characteristic bob, sulky expression and a uniform that was always embarrassingly too tight to be flattering. Now she seemed to have really grown into herself, exuding real confidence that only time could bring. Her hair was shoulder-length and glossy, her robes were a pretty silk plum with silver embroidery, and her eyes were sparkling.

" _Of course_ it is! You and Blaise have been an item for weeks now and we haven't had tea yet; I was furious when he eventually crawled out of his hole and told me it was _you_ that had been keeping him busy! Really we should have tea about a month ago, but you weren't to know."

Ron's snort made panic swirl in Hermione's gut – if Ron heard that then there was no way this was a dream. Pansy Parkinson was insisting they had _tea_? How had this become her life?

"I see you haven't changed Weasley," Pansy said disapprovingly, but without any malice from their youth. "Merlin you're tall."

The tips of his ears turned pink, but he didn't say anything – probably because the statement on his height was so matter-of-fact there was no way to take it any further. Her attention didn't stay on him for too long though, as her eyes were fixed on Harry's and didn't seem to be in a rush to turn anywhere else.

"You on the other hand have changed quite a bit," she said in a rather weird tone. "You look good Potter."

Harry blinked at her, completely unsure of what had just happened in that moment. She was still looking at him, although not with the air of someone who was expecting a compliment in return, rather with an expression of interest. He stuttered a little and Ron, having collected himself, elbowed him.

"I-ur-thanks…Pansy…."

Hermione, having watched the episode with even more confusion than when Pansy had first called out her name. This had to be the strangest thing to have happened to her all week, and that was seriously saying something.

"Sorry to cut this short Pansy," she said as she shook herself out of her stupor, "we need to be going before we get back to work, I hope you don't –"

"Of course," Pansy interrupted in a light tone, refocusing her attention to the brunette. "I'll owl you with some dates and times tonight, we really must try to have tea this week Hermione. I know Blaise probably hasn't schooled you on what goes on in our society, so trust me, you'll be happy you came."

Hermione blinked at her, but before she could respond Pansy had already pulled out her wand to disapparate, pausing only to wink at Harry, before disappearing into thin air.

DMHGDMHG

Blaise Zabini had had an impossibly long day. Just when he thought he was out of one situation, another broke out. There had been a never-ending list of issues regarding the building stage of the newest hotel he was looking to add to the chain. A little smaller in size, the idea behind this build was for it to be targeted towards working wizards and witches, erected firmly in Wizarding London with a very corporate feel. All of the other Zabini hotels were multi-faceted; great for families, romantic breaks, stag and hen parties, with space for conferences and meetings. This particular one would be for those who travelled often for business; shorter stays with a quicker turnaround, but strong Floo and Portkey links across the world. It was a fabulous idea; one that had attracted a lot of interest and investors. But planning permission in the particular location he wanted was hard to get, and his board of directors had spent the best part of the day trying to get Blaise to consider the merits of other locations.

He wasn't being deliberately stubborn or conceited; he knew that if a way around it couldn't be found his name and money wouldn't be enough to get him what he wanted. But he didn't feel as though they had exhausted every possibility yet and, truth be told, he really needed a win at the moment. He had just managed to appease Hermione, and he needed to get the other elements of his life back on an even keel, ideally starting with work.

Although, it would seem the fates had other ideas. He had been looking forward to retreating to his sanctuary and cracking open a vintage bottle of Firewhiskey saved for the most hectic of days, but when he turned the corner he found a sorrowful platinum blond figure outside the door to his office.

He knew that eventually he and Draco would be back on speaking terms; that was why he had been careful about what he promised Hermione the night before. He would make sure that Draco didn't treat her in that way ever again, and Draco was certainly his problem to deal with, but he knew that their friendship was not about to be over for good and he had made sure she knew that. The problem was how they adjusted to the new dynamic going forward; Draco seeking him out meant his pride had taken a serious beating, and he was willing to bet there was some sort of motive behind it. He'd had enough tiffs with the blond to know that just because he was sorry, he wasn't about to behave like he was. He would need to make sure that he made an effort towards Hermione, otherwise the problem wouldn't go away and Hermione would be anything but understanding.

As Draco's back was to him, Blaise had the advantage of mentally preparing himself for the exchange before it happened. He took a deep breath, before painting an amused grin on his face and making his presence known.

"Took you long enough."

Draco spun around and, noticing the light-hearted expression on the Italian's face, smirked back.

"Where the hell have you been Zabini? Your secretary left me out here for twenty minutes before she disappeared off to Merlin knows where! I thought you were supposed to be running a tight ship!"

Blaise rolled his eyes as he unlocked his office door and led Draco inside.

"I've been getting complaints about Sandra since I hired her – she's a liability but I can't let her go yet. She's the daughter of one of mum's friends and I said I'd do her a favour. Worst decision I ever made."

"You need to stop agreeing to do every little thing your mother asks you to do," Draco lectured, settling down into the plush leather chair across from Blaise's desk.

"Like you're any different," Blaise retorted, unscrewing the whiskey and pouring the fiery amber liquid into two crystal glasses. "Do you really expect me to believe you came here on your own without Narcissa nagging you?"

Draco had the foresight to not lie, accepting his glass as he leaned forward.

"I'm here aren't I?"

Blaise took his seat and pulled his own glass towards him.

"Yes you are," he said with a suddenly serious expression, "and before we toast to anything I'd like to know if you're here having accepted what I said to you that night before I left. Because I haven't changed my mind. And if you can't be respectful we can't be around each other."

Draco gave him a long, considered look.

"I accept what you said, but I need to know how sincere you are before I can agree to be respectful."

"You doubt my word? I mean it Draco, I will have no issues with not speaking to you –"

"I mean the sincerity of your feelings towards Granger. I just don't buy it Blaise, and I can't work out what you're trying to do with her – it doesn't make sense. You never wanted a girlfriend and now you expect me to believe that _Granger_ is the witch you want? She's not even close to your type!"

To Blaise's credit, he didn't react in any sort of way. He knew this was coming, but he didn't know how to play it, and he didn't know how to play it because he genuinely didn't have all of the answers. He felt drawn to Hermione- he couldn't explain it any other way. But from when they started to form a friendship he'd felt more and more at ease with her; she was a consistent source of light and security that he couldn't help seeking out.

"I don't expect you to believe anything, and make no mistake Draco, I couldn't care less what you think or believe when it comes to _Hermione_ and I. I'm not trying to do anything with her; we have a good friendship and there has always been a spark there, but neither of us were in the right place before to explore it. We fell into this and, so far, it's working out. And I for one am glad she's not my usual type – if I wanted the same cycle to repeat itself I would have done that. Just accept that I want something different."

"That would all be really convincing if you hadn't given her the title of _girlfriend_!" Draco prompted with a scrutinising look. "You know as well as I do what weight that carries in our world – is that really where you see this going?"

Blaise ran a hand through his hair and felt a wave of anger spark over him.

"I'm getting sick of you acting like I'm a naïve idiot who has know idea how my own world works!" he snapped. "Hermione is not just some witch I decided to fuck for a little while. She is not a phase I'm going through or a woman I'm unsure of. I like her a lot. I can see myself falling for her, and I haven't felt that way about another woman before. I can see a future with her and, above all else, I respect her. Which is why I asked her to be my girlfriend officially; she deserves a proper title. I know what it means and what it's going to look like, and I'm prepared for that, but I am going to take it all at my own pace and I'm fully allowed to do that!"

"That's all very well and good, but how aware of all of this is Granger?" Draco bit out. "I can respect what you're saying but you need to be honest Blaise – have you explained the reality of what this means? She may be a know-it-all but she's never been exposed to elite Pureblood society. You may be prepared for what's about to come, but is she?"

Blaise hated the fact that Draco had zeroed in on the one thing he really couldn't deny. It was the thing he had been holding back on when it came to Hermione, and he'd been feeling especially uneasy about it since last night's conversation. There were chasms between their two worlds, and Blaise had never pictured himself in a situation where he'd have to explain the way his world worked to an unsuspecting woman. Hermione was stoic in her beliefs – the house elf issue had left him bewildered because, whilst he firmly respected her stance and agreed that they should be freed and given the choice, every corner of his world and lifestyle functioned the way it did _because_ of house elves. And her reaction over him mentioning etiquette lessons was another thing – he knew that she was already overwhelmed, and he was doing a bad job in helping her get a handle on everything. He just didn't know how to do it.

"Pansy told me you owled her; a wise move. Outsourcing your job to the witch that embodies everything about our society."

Blaise glared at him.

"I'm not outsourcing anything!" he prickled. "I want Hermione to bond with her – Pansy's like a sister to me! And there are some things she'll learn better from a fellow witch…things that would be better for her to grasp before she meets my mother. And before you latch on to that, don't even start with me about not having told my mother yet Draco, I mean it."

Realising that Blaise was losing his temper, Draco kept his thoughts to himself and chose to take a different approach.

"I'm just asking because I want you to be sure before you start something that you can't finish. This is just the beginning of a very long shit storm."

"Draco, all I want to do right now is sit back, drink my firewhiskey and talk about Quidditch. Whatever happens with me and Hermione is between the two of us and that's the end of that. You need to treat her with civility and respect, and if you can't then keep your mouth shut and stay away from us. End of."


	6. Chapter 6: Developments

**Spider Webs**

 **A/N:** A speedier update – yay! ? It's not that I'm not writing, it's just that the editing process takes a while and I like to come back to my pieces with fresh eyes before I upload them! Thank you to everyone who's favourited, alerted and reviewed! To my guest reviewer: I'm glad the abrupt ending made you smile! It just felt right to end it there – I wanted Blaise's statement to have impact, but I also wanted to leave Draco's reaction open-ended. I hope you like this chapter that has an actual Dramione interaction – let me know what you think!

Please read, review and let me know if you have any questions! Happy reading!

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot!

 **Summary:** When Blaise and Hermione start dating, Draco's world is turned upside down. Blaise is determined for the two to bond but given that not everything is quite how it seems, this may not be the wisest idea. Please R&R!

 **Brief Recap:** Blaise organised a dinner with his best friends Theo and Draco, telling them he'd like them to meet his new girlfriend, without revealing the Witch in question. So, when he turns up with Hermione, Draco is furious and tries to make Hermione as uncomfortable as possible, leading to a falling out. A falling out that has been 'patched up' for now, although Hermione is wary of Blaise, Blaise is wary of Draco, Draco is wary of everyone, and everyone's motives are pretty unclear.

 **Chapter 6: Developments**

"Here you are Miss, is that enough chocolate for ya?"

Hermione grinned at the little man behind the counter as she took in the four rather large, decorative, chocolate boxes floating carefully into a pretty little bag.

"It certainly is, thank you very much!"

"It's my pleasure! You having a party or something?"

"Just a small get together at a friend's house," she replied as she paid him the necessary amount. "I try to bring desert whenever I can, and I know these will go down a treat."

"You're welcome back anytime Miss, we're hardly in short supply!"

Hermione thanked the man once again and gathered her shopping together before leaving the small chocolatiers. She adored Honeydukes, but she also found the permanent crowd overwhelming – as a teenager it never seemed to bother her, but as an adult with a high level of social anxiety it was something she actively tried to avoid. She had stumbled upon _Ergyll's Emporium_ a year ago by chance; she had been in a different part of London interviewing members of a secret society of Squibs that had been in action since the late 1700s for a project, when she'd made a wrong turn. Spying the thatched cottage, she'd gone in to ask for directions, and was immediately taken by the incredibly intoxicating aroma of pure chocolate. Since then, no other chocolate could compare.

At lunch with the boys the other day, Ron had pestered her about her absence at Sunday dinners over at the Burrow, and she'd reluctantly agreed to go along this week. It wasn't that she didn't want to see the Weasleys – to her they would always be family, and she loved them dearly. She tended to spend most Sundays with her parents or, as of the past two months, with Blaise in a bubble away from the rest of the world. She hadn't meant to let it infringe on her time with the red-haired clan, and now she was extremely conscious that they would want to know all about her relationship. Aside from the light teasing and Ginny's very blunt, but playful, exclamations of approval, she'd avoided the topic of Blaise Zabini like the plague. After the events of the past week, she'd made Harry and Ron swear not to bring the dinner up at all – she didn't have the energy to discuss it and she didn't need more people asking her questions she was privately bombarding herself with. She knew the chocolate would go down well and, hopefully, act as a distraction long enough for her to pull herself together.

" _Ow_!"

"Watch where you're… _Granger_?"

" _Malfoy_? Oh, for Merlin's sake!"

First the dinner from hell. Then drama from Blaise. _Then_ the most bizarre conversation imaginable with Pansy Parkinson.

Bumping into Draco Malfoy was officially the _last_ straw.

"Can I not have any bloody peace!" she exclaimed angrily, fixing the blond with a furious glare.

"What are you –"

"What could you possibly want to say to me this time, Malfoy? It's Sunday morning, I am not in the mood for your verbal abuse! Haven't you done enough this week?"

"In case you hadn't noticed Granger, _you_ banged into me! Draco growled. "I was just minding my own business before you came barrelling towards me – you'd think traipsing after those two louts you call friends would have taught you to watch your step!"

"And on that note," she snapped primly, "I'll be going!"

She made to push past him, determined not to let him ruin the rest of the day for her, when he caught her arm and tugged so that she had to turn back towards him.

"Will you stop for one bleeding second?" he said in a gruff tone. "I don't know what's got your wand in a knot this morning Granger, but you will not stand there and take it out on me! I'll have to tell Blaise to slip some Pepper-Up Potion in your morning coffee!"

"In order to do that you'd have to be speaking to each other," she retorted, regretting it the second a smug smirk broke out on his annoying face.

"So, he's not told you then? Interesting."

When she remained stubbornly silent he chuckled.

"I went to see him after work. We are most definitely speaking again, which means I apparently have to be civil and respectful."

"Don't put yourself out on my account," she spat, trying to mask her annoyance that Blaise hadn't told her about this development. _Why couldn't that man just communicate?_ "I couldn't care less if you're civil or not."

Draco gave her a considered look.

"I promised my best friend. That may not mean anything to you, but when I give my word I keep it."

Hermione felt her head start to throb. She didn't believe him in the slightest, although she was starting to question her belief in a lot of things. There was something about the way he'd spoken those words that was niggling at her and she couldn't figure out why; was he hinting that Blaise didn't keep his promises? Was he marking his territory and making sure she knew he wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon? She was also very conscious of his grasp on her arm that hadn't wavered once; it was the first time she'd been this close to him since she'd punched him in their third year and it was making her feel extremely disconcerted. His woody cologne was dancing frivolously between them and something about it was making her nose twitch; it was very different from anything she'd smelt before. Blaise enjoyed fresher scents, Harry usually only wore deodorant and Ron never wore anything as far as she was aware.

"Whatever Malfoy, right now I'd just like you to let go of my arm."

She'd tried to keep her voice as even as possible, but it made her feel more at ease when he jolted to action and dropped her arm as though it burned him.

"What are you doing here anyway?"

She wasn't sure why she asked; she didn't particularly want to make small talk with him. But her thoughts were beginning to ponder the names of the different shades of grey she'd been able to see in his eyes, and that was _not_ something she wanted to be thinking about at all.

"I'll have you know I've been coming here since I was little," Draco said haughtily, a little out of sorts. "Not many people know about this place. My mother used to come here when she was a child – she was friends with the first Ergyll's grandson."

Hermione quirked an eyebrow, genuinely intrigued.

"I didn't know it had been around for so long," she admitted. "I only stumbled upon it by chance and I haven't found anything that tastes like it! Everything I've tried so far has been…well…"

"Perfect? Yeah, that's part of the charm…"

An uneasy silence followed their first ever civilised conversation. They stared at each other as though they were meeting for the first time. Hermione found herself wishing for some sort of interruption – she didn't want to make the decision to apparate away when she could quite easily have stood there asking Malfoy all sorts about the history of the Emporium. It was times like this where she really hated her natural curiosity.

"I have somewhere I need to be," Draco said suddenly, all traces of politeness gone from his tone. It wasn't rude per-say, just cold. "See you around, Granger."

Whilst she was extremely relieved he'd made the choice for her, Hermione found herself left with a niggling voice in her head that wanted to know how long they could have remained civil for.

….

"Well, aren't I a lucky witch to be running into you, Mr Zabini?"

The annoyingly familiar dulcet tones of a very blond, very determined journalist made Blaise's head snap up. _When will this bloody week end?_ He was in a disgruntled mood; after the most ridiculously long week, all he wanted to do was spend his Sunday in bed with his girlfriend, blocking off the outside world as much as possible like they'd managed to do for most of their relationship so far. But Hermione had other plans, shuffling off to a stupid Sunday lunch at Weasley HQ. She'd invited him rather hesitantly, and he couldn't say he blamed her. The only interaction he'd shared with any of them had been during the war, and he was pretty sure they'd lumped him and Theo in the same category as Draco. He'd never been rude or unpleasant, if anything Blaise had made a conscious effort to come across as amiable as possible, gelling well with the twins as time went on. But now they were a couple they'd be looking at him in an entirely different light, and he knew he'd need to have a clear, well-rested head to handle that properly.

So, he'd reassured her that he didn't mind her going alone…after pulling her back to bed for a particularly graphic demonstration of what she could expect if she changed her mind and stayed, showered and apparated into work. He figured he could make a start on some paperwork to avoid having to do it the following morning before a meeting, but it would seem that Rita Skeeter and her abomination of a quill had other plans. He'd not even made it to the reception desk before she'd cornered him.

"And what can I do for you Ms Skeeter?" he asked with a charming, albeit fake, smile on his face.

"A man eager to please, you really are perfection, aren't you?" she practically purred. Blaise fought the urge to roll his eyes; this woman would do anything for a story.

"I aim to please, but I also have a very tight schedule today, so if we could make this brief…?"

Unperturbed, Rita smiled knowingly as her quill began to scratch across the parchment in a thick leather notebook.

"Of course, Mr Zabini. Am I right in assuming that your schedule has become even busier lately thanks to a certain muggleborn war heroine?"

 _And there it is!_ She was fishing for details about his relationship – typical. He should have seen this coming and, in a way, he had. It was one of the things Draco had hinted heavily at during their reconciliation. But he thought he had more time – they'd only just started telling people and this was the first week they'd been seen out in public together quite often. Then again, Rita Skeeter was someone who did not wait for news to become old.

"And may I inquire as to how that is any of your business?"

His tone was pleasant, but the sparkle in his eyes was no longer friendly. Rita was unfazed.

"With all due respect Mr Zabini, if the witch in question is in fact your latest _squeeze_ , you must know how intrigued the entire Wizarding World will be in how this came about? Not only does this speak volumes for unifying the population, you know, given your very stark differences, but it also would mean that two of the most eligible single individuals in our society are officially off the market! I trust you can see why this is such a huge development?"

Blaise found himself caught between two very different reactions. On the one hand, he wanted to tell her to keep her nose out of his business, and he knew that if Hermione were there she'd be of the same mind. But Hermione also had no idea how their world actually worked. It was actually doing more damage having people assume she was some sort of victim to his seduction, and the longer he waited to clarify its nature the more it seemed as though this was a phase he was going through, which was infuriating him on so many levels. As loathed as he was to admit it, it may actually be of benefit to clarify the nature of their relationship once and for all. _Yes_ , there would be more speculation, but they didn't have to respond to anything else once that was out in the open; it would probably get everyone off his back for a while and stop people assuming he was just casually sleeping with Hermione until the next witch came along. As long as he spoke to Hermione about it that night before it was printed and warned her about what she might expect going forward, everything would be fine.

"Hermione Granger is my girlfriend," he stated, ignoring the clenching of his gut as her bloody quill moved so fast it became a blur. "We have been together for just over two months and we are extremely happy together. I would like to hope that our privacy will be respected going forward; I doubt anyone would want us to take any action concerning that matter."

Rita's eyes had widened behind her glasses, and she looked like the cat that got the cream.

"Not to worry Mr Zabini," she said with a flick of her hair. "Privacy will not be an issue for the two of you; at the Daily Prophet we pride ourselves on the respectful relationship we have with those in the public eye. Have a pleasant day!"

He tried to ignore the foreboding feeling that was creeping over him, as though everything was about to get a hell of a lot worse. He would just have to make sure he spoke to Hermione later. As long as he did that everything would be fine.

…

Mrs Weasley's cooking always smelled incredible, but nothing in Hermione's mind came close to her Sunday roasts. The house was alive with the mouth-watering scent of sumptuous roast pork, gravy, crispy roast potatoes with buttery soft insides, and honey-glazed vegetables. Sat in between Ginny and Ron, she was determined to savour every single mouthful.

"It's so lovely to have you here Hermione," Mrs Weasley said kindly across the table as she heaped more potatoes onto her husband's plate. "It really has been far too long since we've seen you. You're getting too thin!"

"She's been using up all her energy with that boyfriend of hers," George sniggered.

"Ah yes, Blaise Zabini," Fred chimed in with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "And how exactly have you been spending your days as his girlfriend Hermione? Tell us, are the rumours true?"

Ginny snorted into her goblet before smiling sheepishly at Hermione.

Hermione rolled her eyes at them.

"If any of you tease me I'll make sure that I send a particularly nasty hex your way…and I'll be taking those chocolate boxes home with me too!"

"Yes, leave her alone," Molly reprimanded, "it's no wonder she's not brought him round yet!"

"You're no fun," George grumbled. "It's not like we haven't met the bloke before! Fred and I got on with him pretty well from what I remember!"

"Yes, but that was well before we started dating," Hermione reasoned, throwing a helpless look at Harry who pretended to be engrossed in the food on his plate. She resolved to get him back for that later.

"Why don't you bring him to my match on Wednesday?" Ginny suggested. "He likes Quidditch, and I've got more than enough tickets. Plus, it'll be far more relaxed than a dinner situation. It's back at our home stadium so I'll have my usual box for you guys."

Hermione considered it. Ginny was a chaser for the Holyhead Harpies, and on Wednesday evening they were playing against their biggest rivals Puddlemere United. It wasn't often that Hermione could make Ginny's games; as much as she did try to be a supportive friend to Ginny she couldn't deny that she hated the sport, and so often forgot when a match would be and ended up working through it. Blaise, on the other hand, adored the sport, and it would be a good way for him to spend some time with her friends in a very casual setting. It would be very public, and she felt a little nervous at the thought of such a public statement, but she doubted anyone would care too much.

"That's not actually a bad idea," she said.

"That's settled then," Ginny smiled happily. "I'll owl you the tickets. Ron's bringing Luna too!"

Everyone's eyes turned to a very scarlet Ron.

"As a _friend,_ " he snapped unconvincingly. Everyone knew Ron and Luna had been dancing around each other for ages. Hermione relaxed a little; there would be far less pressure on her and Blaise if Ron and Luna would be under the spotlight too.

"Well now that's all sorted, tell us how the big renovation project is going Harry?" Mr Weasley asked eagerly.

Harry swallowed his mouthful, suddenly aware he was being pulled into the conversation.

"It's going well so far, bit of a long process to get through all the rooms but it's been a good way to spend my time off work."

Hermione frowned a little; there was something in Harry's tone that wasn't quite right. He was usually quite relaxed at the Burrow, but today he definitely seemed to be more reclusive.

"I didn't know you'd been renovating Grimmauld Place," Ginny said in a slightly hurt tone. "Are you sure you have enough time? Aren't you going back to work soon?"

 _Ah._ That explained it. Harry's cheeks reddened, and a strange awkwardness enveloped the table. Harry and Ginny had broken up about a year after the War but had been known to spend the odd night together here and there. Ron, always in denial about his sister's escapades, believed they'd eventually get back together – as did most of the Weasleys, but Hermione wasn't so sure. Harry didn't seem to regard Ginny the way he did back in school; he had adored her beyond reason initially, and the rush of surviving death had made him hold on to her even tighter. But then reality had set in, and without the shadow of Voldermort hanging over them, Harry had realised that they didn't have a huge amount in common other than Quidditch and their joint sense of humour. Not that Ginny had changed in any substantial way; Harry had admitted to Hermione once that he felt like he was discovering things about himself he'd never known before, and he was the one who was changing. The break-up had been a bittersweet relief for him, but old habits died hard, and Harry had apparated over to Hermione's on many morning afters with a guilty, self-loathing air about him.

"Not for a while," he mumbled.

"Why didn't you say anything?" she prompted, although there was a reluctance in her tone, as though she wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer.

Harry shrugged.

The awkwardness got thicker the longer the silence that followed went on. Ginny flushed scarlet and excused herself, throwing an irritated glare at Harry. Mrs Weasley quickly got up to clear the table, snapping at Fred and George to help her, whilst Mr Weasley mumbled something about being off to read the paper.

Hermione tried to send Harry a reassuring smile, but he just looked back at her with a blank expression.

"I wish you two would just sort this out," Ron groaned as he downed his pumpkin juice. "Just talk to her more mate – if she thinks she knows what's going on with you she'll stop being so mental."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"She is _not_ mental Ronald!"

"No but she _is_ my ex-girlfriend," Harry interjected before a spat could develop. "She doesn't need to know what's going on with me – I don't ever feel the need to know what's happening with her!"

"Well if that's the case, maybe stop sleeping with her?" Ron advised, suddenly very serious. "I mean it – you're messing with her head and I don't like it. I kept my mouth shut because I thought you'd get back together at some point, but if you know that's not going to happen then leave her alone Harry. She's my sister and she doesn't deserve it."

Harry nodded sagely, and Hermione couldn't help but wish the conversation went on for longer – she was enjoying the spotlight being off her for once.

….

"I have a request to make."

"You'll have to give me a minute darling, I'm still recovering from the last request you asked from me."

Hermione felt her cheeks burn as she lifted her head up from Blaise's chest to glare at him. He winked at her and pulled her down for a searing kiss, running a hand through her mused hair. Within a minute of her stepping out of the fireplace from the Burrow he'd slammed his lips into hers and carried her off to her bedroom. She wasn't complaining, but she was having a hard time getting her bearings. It was always a whirlwind with Blaise – it was spontaneous, fun and refreshing when they'd first gotten together but now she was beginning to feel like sex for Blaise was something of a distraction… _all_ the time. They never had intimate, slow sex; he favoured taking her hard and fast in a flurry of movement and, whilst she really couldn't complain because he really did make her body feel amazing, she found that she was beginning to feel like a human stress ball. It was all beginning to link to this avoidance of talking about things he had. She didn't want to add another layer to their issues, but she was definitely anticipating having to bring it up at some point.

"It's not like that," she mumbled against his lips, pushing herself off his body so that she could think a little clearer.

He watched behind hooded eyes as she leaned over for her black silk robe and wrapped it around her body, before turning to face him.

"Would you maybe like to come with me to Ginny's next Quidditch match? She's playing on Wednesday night and she's got lots of tickets – a few of the Weasleys are going…we have a box…it might be more fun and less pressured than a big Sunday dinner…I understand if you don't want to I just thought –"

"Of course, I will."

The simplicity of his answer after her long ramble jarred her suddenly.

" _You will_?"

Blaise chucked and sat up so that he could look more directly at her.

"I think it's a good idea. You know I love Quidditch, and Weasley's not a bad player; plus, if you get bored like you always do during a match I'll be there to make it far more _interesting._ "

Hermione frowned.

"Are you sure?" she hedged carefully. "You know there'll be press there? And lots of people? Not to mention quite a few of the Weasleys –"

"Are you trying to talk me out of it now?" Blaise asked her with an amused expression.

"No…I just thought it would be harder to convince you…"

Blaise looked a little uncomfortable.

"Well, to be honest, the timing is pretty convenient. Rita Skeeter paid me a visit at work today…"

Hermione's eyes widened, and she sat up even straighter.

"What did she want?"

"Information."

"About what?"

"Us."

" _Us_?"

Blaise nodded.

"Hermione…whether you want to admit it or not, we're considered to be quite famous individuals. I get that you've had to get used to it since Hogwarts, but I was born into it and it's just how the Wizarding World works. Making a statement to confirm we're officially together –"

"You've made a statement?"

Suddenly, the air next to him was too claustrophobic. She got up, tightened the knot around her robe and paced.

"All I said was that we are together and have been for two months. I also requested that our privacy is respected in the future –"

"Oh, like that vile woman knows the meaning of the word privacy!" Hermione snapped angrily. "I can't believe you even said that much! Why did you respond at all?"

"Because I'm sick of people assuming I'm not serious about you!" he shouted, surprising them both. Blaise rarely shouted. And he was yet to admit how serious he was concerning their relationship. Hermione forced herself to breathe.

"How serious are you?" she asked in a quiet voice.

Blaise ran a hand through his hair in agitation.

"I know I'm not just casually fucking you!" he snapped. "I don't know if I'm on the cusp of getting down on one knee Hermione, but I do want to see where this can go, and I do want to go public with you which, in elite Pureblood society, is quite a big deal!"

Hermione felt dizzy and sat down at the end of the bed.

"So, you telling Rita Skeeter that little nugget of information, which is sure to be printed in tomorrow's paper, was easier for you than just telling _me_ that yourself?"

"It's not about it being _easier,_ " he said diplomatically, extremely uncomfortable with the turn this entire conversation had taken. "It's what I'm used to and it makes sense to me. I told you that communicating is something I'll need to work on."

"Ok," she said calmly, "but explain this to me – why didn't you explain all of this to me before? You've had so much time to tell me how things work in Pureblood wizarding society, but rather than prepare me I've spent the past week having my world turned upside down by you and your friends."

Blaise looked guiltily at her. He didn't like the sound of hurt in her voice.

"I didn't know how to…it's a lot and I'm aware it's overwhelming. I'll try to be better at explaining things to you Hermione, I really will…I'm sorry…I know I've fucked this whole thing up. But the worst of it is over now."

 _Why don't I believe you?_ Hermione's gut feeling was rarely wrong, and as she looked at Blaise's solemn expression she felt herself at a loss of what to do. She wasn't happy with how Blaise had handled things. She wasn't happy with how things had unfolded at all this week actually, and she was seriously questioning how ready she was for the next step that would be forced upon her with tomorrow's Daily Prophet.

What she knew she would definitely need to do first thing tomorrow morning was start researching the world she had stumbled into. Because she would not be caught out again, and she clearly couldn't rely on Blaise to prepare her.


End file.
